MERRILLVILLE, Ind., July 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- White Lodging is pleased to announce Brad Haas has been named the opening general manager of the Hyatt Place Austin Downtown, leaving his previous position as the general manager of the Marriott Austin South.

"I'm very excited about the new opportunity and to be a part of White Lodging's first Hyatt Place opening," said Haas.

Haas started his hospitality career a maintenance tech at the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Memphis, and moved through a variety of positions before becoming a general manager. He has served as the general manager at seven brands and has been recognized as the Rookie GM of the Year, Residence Inn GM of the Year, SpringHill Suites GM of the Year and the White Lodging GM of the Year.

"As you can see there is a pattern of success wherever Brad goes and there is no doubt he will bring that energy, passion and great results to the Hyatt Place Austin Downtown," said Regional Vice President Kevin Grandin.

The 296-room Hyatt Place Austin Downtown is scheduled to open in Spring 2013. The hotel has already begun to secure guests such as the National League of Cities for the 2014 Congress of Cities and Exposition in November 2014 and the 2014 Annual Meeting for the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, scheduled in July 2014. The Hyatt Place Austin Downtown is White Lodging's 21st hotel in the city.

Hyatt Place Austin/Downtown is located in the heart of downtown and just steps to the convention center, Sixth Street and over 50 restaurants. It's also just 15 minutes from the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and minutes away from major companies including Dell, IBM, Applied Materials, Apple, Samsung, Google and Motorola.

The hotel will host a Topping Out ceremony at 4 p.m. Thursday to celebrate the near completion of the structural construction on the hotel.

White Lodging Services Corporation- was established in 1985 and is headquartered in Merrillville, Ind. White Lodging is a fully integrated hotel ownership, development and operations company – a recognized leader that has defined and cultivated the ability to achieve consistent, sustainable growth among mid-to large-scale hotels across the country. Its current portfolio consists of more than 158 hotels in 20 states and encompasses representation of the following leading brands: Preferred Hotels, Marriott International, Inc., Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Global, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, InterContinental Hotel Group and Carlson Hotels Worldwide.